Efficient energy management systems are desired by utilities and customers in order to reduce costs and peak demand to provide more efficient energy use. Various measures have been developed to address energy management goals. For example, energy efficient devices and appliances have been developed to enable customers to manage energy consumption. In addition, utilities have provided some customers with direct control for certain electrical loads, such as heating or cooling devices, pool pumps, and so on, to allow utilities to control energy and power usage. Also, utilities have implemented demand response programs for residential as well as industrial customers in order to provide reduced peak demand requirements and to effectively manage energy consumption.
While a number of developments have been made to enable customers and the utilities to manage consumption on the grid, the integration, automation, and optimization of these devices into an intelligent system that monitors and manages consumption and effectively communicates information between the utilities and the customers are still being developed.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.